Jeff Bobo

CHURCH HILL — Former Church Hill Police Department Officer Brian Pellegrino was booked into the Hawkins County Jail Tuesday morning after being served with a private prosecution warrant accusing him of assaulting one of his neighbors.

The assault is alleged to have occurred June 13 at outside Pellegrino’s apartment at 230 Silver Lake Road in Church Hill.

Pellegrino, who will be 38 on Thursday, resigned from the CHPD in April citing personal problems, according to Chief Mark Johnson. He'd been with the CHPD since July of 2007.

Although Pellegrino was no longer a member of the CHPD at the time of the assault complaint against him, Johnson said the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office was called into investigate the complaint, as per the city’s conflict of interest policy.

The HCSO reportedly referred the complainant, Alphonse Roy Silvani, to the court clerk’s office for a private prosecution.

Silvani states in his complaint affidavit that on June 13 he walked by the apartment of his downstairs neighbor, Pellegrino, carrying a bucket in his hand. Silvani alleges that Pellegrino opened the door to his apartment and grabbed him by the neck.

Silvani said he yelled to his wife to call 911 and Pellegrino ran back into his apartment.

Pellegrino waved his arraignment Monday in Hawkins County Sessions court and is scheduled for trial Aug. 12.